Shadi Mohammad al-Waisi (; born 1985) was the Minister of Justice in the

Syrian caretaker government The Syrian caretaker government () was the provisional government of Syria. It was established in December 2024 by the Syrian opposition after the Syrian General Command appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as prime minister, replacing Mohammad ...

from December 2024 to March 2025. He had served as Minister of Justice in the

Syrian Salvation Government The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) was a '' de facto'' unrecognized quasi-state in Syria formed on 2 November 2017 by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other opposition groups during the Syrian civil war. It controlled much of northwest S ...

during its sixth term, starting in 2022 and up until the December 2024

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

Education

Al-Waisi holds a degree in Islamic Sharia and a diploma in educational qualification. He is also working on a master's

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

in Islamic and judicial studies. Prior to his judicial and political career, he worked as an Islamic education teacher and served as an

imam Imam (; , '; : , ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a prayer leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Salah, Islamic prayers, serve as community leaders, ...

and preacher in

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

for seven years.

During the Syrian civil war

Al-Nusra

In a video, filmed in January 2015 in

Maarrat Misrin Ma'arrat Misrin (, also spelled Ma'arrat Masrin or Ma'aret Masreen) is a small city in northwestern Syria, administratively part of Idlib Governorate. Ma'arrat Misrin lies an elevation of . It is located 50 kilometers southwest of Aleppo and 40 kil ...

, al-Waisi can reportedly be seen among the spectators at a public execution. The video shows a woman being executed with a single bullet to the head after being allegedly convicted of

prostitution Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, no ...

. In another video, recorded approximately one week later in

Hafasraja Hafasraja () is a Syrian village located in Armanaz Nahiyah in Harem District, Idlib Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea ...

, a similar execution took place for a woman under the same charges. This time, al-Waisi, who was a judge for the

Al-Nusra Front Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Nusrat Ahl al-Sham, also known as Front for the Conquest of the Levant, and also later known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham was a Salafi-jihadist organization that fought against Ba'athist Syria, Ba'athist ...

, is seen personally delivering the verdict next to the condemned woman and signaling the executioner to proceed. The execution was carried out with a single bullet to the head.

Syrian Salvation Government

During the Syrian Civil War, he played a role in the establishment of judicial institutions in areas under the control of opposition factions. He co-founded the Sharia Authority in Dhahret Awad and served as a judge. Later, he joined the founding cadre of the Quadripartite Sharia Authority in Aleppo, where he held positions as a military misdemeanor judge, an appeals judge, and the

public prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

. Al-Waisi also founded and presided over the Judicial Circuit Project and established key judicial institutions, including the Salqin Court, Hreitan Court, and the Northern Badiya Court. In addition to these roles, he has served as the head of the Civil Felonies Court and the Criminal Appeals Court under the

. He is also a member of the Supreme Judicial Council.

Minister of Justice

In 2024, al-Waisi began serving as the Minister of Justice in the

under prime minister

Mohammed al-Bashir Mohammed al-Bashir (; born 1984) is a Syrian politician and engineer who is currently serving as Minister of Energy in the Syrian transitional government since March 2025. He previously served as the last prime minister of Syria. As prime minist ...

after the

and the decision that ministers of the salvation government will serve in the same roles in the transitional government until March 2025. Videos of al-Waisi approving executions of women dating back to his tenure as a judge for the

resurfaced shortly after he was appointed as minister of justice and sparked criticism. On 29 March 2025,

Mazhar al-Wais Mazhar Abd al-Rahman al-Wais (; born 1980) is a Syrian Islamic scholar and former militant leader who is the current minister of justice of Syria in the Syrian transitional government since March 2025. He had previously served as the head of th ...

succeeded al-Waisi as Minister of Justice.

References

1985 births Living people People from Aleppo Governorate Islamic scholars Syrian imams 21st-century Syrian politicians Ministers of justice of Syria Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Al-Nusra Front members

Notes

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